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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a match
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — to come from
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com